Fishy mama says GO VOTE!
On Halloween, my mom calls me up and wants me to take the angelfish (and cory cat) home. Ron and I go over and help mom disassemble the 10 gallon tank and move a few things. I take a bunch of pictures of my childhood home, all empty now, and say goodbye for the last time. Mom and dad sign her away Nov. 3. I hope her new owners take care of her.
I get the fishies back to my house and I'm trying to decide what to do with them. I have all the accessories for the 10 gallon tank, just plug it in and go. The problem is, I have no good spot to PUT the tank, and I have a cool 15 gallon tank and stand (that needs accessorie$$$) I got from Ron's mom that I was gonna put firebellied toads in. I have no table to put the tank on, so I gotta use the stand. I moved my parents' couch into the hall (that gets donated to Clara) and set my tank stand there. But the 10 gal tank is too small for it. I could put a board up and a cloth over the stand, but it still looks goofy. I really didn't want to spend any more money, but that small tank will look dumb. ARRRGH! I flipped out in indecision/frustration a little, but Ron convinced me to just get what I needed for the big tank and be done with it. I got an underground filtration system and a lid with light, but the lid goes right through the opening (it's an old-style tank)! Luckilly the pet store dude helped us find a way to make a mock edge with glass pieces and silicone. I ran out and got 15 gallons of filtered water to start the tank up, and with Ron's help, it went pretty well in the end.
Went over to Aunt Sue and Uncle Joe's for corned beef and cabbage Halloween dinner. (A little out of season, eh?) It was good. My cousin Justine was out collecting candy most of the night, dressed as one of the girls from "The Ring". I wore my chocolate bunny/easter basket and I made Ron wear his Milk Carton face I made for him last year. I scared the hell out of Newton (their golden retriever) with my mask and ears until he realized who I was, ha. My sister Ruth, Mrs. C and my Aunt Pat were also there. It was nice to visit with them. My Uncle Joe talked about how he dislikes the war and is not happy with Bush, and I watched Ron get a little steamed, heheh. I took some nice photos of the pumpkins outside and the house. Didn't seem to be too many kids trick or treat in their Huntington Woods neighborhood. Hmm.
On Monday night, before Clara & Jeff & his parents came to pick up mom's couch, I got a few more fish for my tank. I got 6 neon tetras and a beautiful blue male gourami. Both fish my mom had as we were growing up. My gourami is just like the one in the photo... but bright blue with little red tips near the tail. I plan to add more fish soon, but I need to do it in stages to the pH of the water doesn't go goofy. So far so good with this tank. I don't think it will be hard to maintain because it's so big.
So here we go... the final few hours before America decides who the president will be. I am really wondering how it will end! The phone polls show Kerry and Bush neck-in-neck. You know the candidates are sweating it out, or at least their political parties are. I can't believe the underhanded techniques some people are using to trick people into NOT voting! Read about them HERE. And did you ever think about the impact dead voters have on the system? Funny how their votes still count! And hey... do you remember the "sloganator" on the Bush/Cheney campaign website that had to be taken down because people were making mock posters with it? Relive some funny Anti-Bush slogans created by the public HERE.
So in all seriousness... I hope you all will go out and vote. Your ancestors fought for your right to, so don't dishonor them. Don't say that your vote doesn't count, because the taxes you pay, the goods you buy, the laws that govern you are all controlled by these people that YOU need to hire. They DO directly affect your life, so you'd better be somewhat interested. Besides, if you don't vote, then you have no right to bitch about this country. Not knowing who to vote for is no excuse. You can check out unbiased candidate info at the League of Women Voters website. It's easy to read and FREE. If you don't follow politics much, it's really helpful.
I am going to vote in the morning before work. I really hate politics but I am gonna do my civic duty, work, then plunk my butt in front of the TV with Ron and watch the numbers climb all night. 4 years ago it was crazy, and this year's will probably be even crazier. Ron predicts Bush will with 53% of the popular vote, and 300 in the electoral college. Let's see if he's right. Thank God this is almost over! I have a feeling Bush will win by a hair... I dunno. Like Dawg's last LJ post says... "No matter who wins, we all lose." (Which happens to be the Alien VS Predator movie slogan) I really wish I felt more confident in one or the other but they both have their suck points. Let's just hope there isn't recount hell like last time!
Good luck and godspeed to you all in the voting booth today.
I get the fishies back to my house and I'm trying to decide what to do with them. I have all the accessories for the 10 gallon tank, just plug it in and go. The problem is, I have no good spot to PUT the tank, and I have a cool 15 gallon tank and stand (that needs accessorie$$$) I got from Ron's mom that I was gonna put firebellied toads in. I have no table to put the tank on, so I gotta use the stand. I moved my parents' couch into the hall (that gets donated to Clara) and set my tank stand there. But the 10 gal tank is too small for it. I could put a board up and a cloth over the stand, but it still looks goofy. I really didn't want to spend any more money, but that small tank will look dumb. ARRRGH! I flipped out in indecision/frustration a little, but Ron convinced me to just get what I needed for the big tank and be done with it. I got an underground filtration system and a lid with light, but the lid goes right through the opening (it's an old-style tank)! Luckilly the pet store dude helped us find a way to make a mock edge with glass pieces and silicone. I ran out and got 15 gallons of filtered water to start the tank up, and with Ron's help, it went pretty well in the end.
Went over to Aunt Sue and Uncle Joe's for corned beef and cabbage Halloween dinner. (A little out of season, eh?) It was good. My cousin Justine was out collecting candy most of the night, dressed as one of the girls from "The Ring". I wore my chocolate bunny/easter basket and I made Ron wear his Milk Carton face I made for him last year. I scared the hell out of Newton (their golden retriever) with my mask and ears until he realized who I was, ha. My sister Ruth, Mrs. C and my Aunt Pat were also there. It was nice to visit with them. My Uncle Joe talked about how he dislikes the war and is not happy with Bush, and I watched Ron get a little steamed, heheh. I took some nice photos of the pumpkins outside and the house. Didn't seem to be too many kids trick or treat in their Huntington Woods neighborhood. Hmm.
On Monday night, before Clara & Jeff & his parents came to pick up mom's couch, I got a few more fish for my tank. I got 6 neon tetras and a beautiful blue male gourami. Both fish my mom had as we were growing up. My gourami is just like the one in the photo... but bright blue with little red tips near the tail. I plan to add more fish soon, but I need to do it in stages to the pH of the water doesn't go goofy. So far so good with this tank. I don't think it will be hard to maintain because it's so big.
So here we go... the final few hours before America decides who the president will be. I am really wondering how it will end! The phone polls show Kerry and Bush neck-in-neck. You know the candidates are sweating it out, or at least their political parties are. I can't believe the underhanded techniques some people are using to trick people into NOT voting! Read about them HERE. And did you ever think about the impact dead voters have on the system? Funny how their votes still count! And hey... do you remember the "sloganator" on the Bush/Cheney campaign website that had to be taken down because people were making mock posters with it? Relive some funny Anti-Bush slogans created by the public HERE.
So in all seriousness... I hope you all will go out and vote. Your ancestors fought for your right to, so don't dishonor them. Don't say that your vote doesn't count, because the taxes you pay, the goods you buy, the laws that govern you are all controlled by these people that YOU need to hire. They DO directly affect your life, so you'd better be somewhat interested. Besides, if you don't vote, then you have no right to bitch about this country. Not knowing who to vote for is no excuse. You can check out unbiased candidate info at the League of Women Voters website. It's easy to read and FREE. If you don't follow politics much, it's really helpful.
I am going to vote in the morning before work. I really hate politics but I am gonna do my civic duty, work, then plunk my butt in front of the TV with Ron and watch the numbers climb all night. 4 years ago it was crazy, and this year's will probably be even crazier. Ron predicts Bush will with 53% of the popular vote, and 300 in the electoral college. Let's see if he's right. Thank God this is almost over! I have a feeling Bush will win by a hair... I dunno. Like Dawg's last LJ post says... "No matter who wins, we all lose." (Which happens to be the Alien VS Predator movie slogan) I really wish I felt more confident in one or the other but they both have their suck points. Let's just hope there isn't recount hell like last time!
Good luck and godspeed to you all in the voting booth today.